Boiler-flue cutter.



W. C. SPENCER.

BOILER FLUE CUTTER.

APPLICATION men MAR. 25. 1915.

Patented Jan.1s,1916.

25 invention, and Fig. is a like-view of a de- BOILEB-IFLUE CUTTER.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, VVILLIAM C. SPENCER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Batavia, in the county of Kane and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Boiler- Flue Gutters; and I do hereby declare that the following description of my said invention, taken in connection with the accompanying sheet of drawing, forms a full,

- clear, and exact specification, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates generally to improvements in boiler flue cutter, and it consists, essentially, in the novel and peculiar combination of parts and details of construction, as hereinafter first fully set forth and described and then pointed out in the claims.

In the drawing already referred to which more fully discloses my invention,Figure 1 is a plan thereof. Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of said invention and Fig. 3 a front elevationthereof. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a handle employed in connection with my tail of construction.

Like parts are indicated by corresponding symbols or characters of reference in all the figures of the drawing.

My invention is designed to facilitate the repair of boilers of the water tube type, such as the Babcock & Wilcox and the like. As is well known these boilers have a plurality of horizontal and vertically inclined, or vertically inclined, or horizontal, or vertical tubes, as the case may be, the ends of which tubes are received in coinciding openings through one wall of the front and rear or top and bottom headers, and in which openings they are expanded and beaded'to create steam and water tight joints in a manner readily comprehended. These headers are in general double walled structures with a water space therebetween, and in the wall opposite that already referred to, are coinciding openings, normally closed by hand hole plates, through which openings access maybe had to the interior of theaforesaid tubes for the purpose of cleansing the interior thereof from sediment or scale. And a further purpose of said openings is to permit the passage therethrough of a full length of tubing which has been burned, deflected, distorted or become otherwise damaged in use. It is Well understood that in setting up Specification of Letterslatcnt.

Application filed March 25,

' PatentedJan.18,1916. 1915. :Seria1Nri.16,967.

Ania s me.

these boilers several vertical flame deflector walls and the like, generally made from fire brick, are interposed between the front and back or top and bottom headers, and encompassing the water tubes thereof are provided. In the present practice of removing defective' tubes, thereis provided a small internal cutter to out said tubes adjacent to their engagement with the walls of the respective headers. Then by physical force applied by crow bars, wedges, and hammer blows, the cut tube is forced through the coinciding opening in the opposite wall of the header in question and likewise through the deflecting walls for its entire length. In the case of a tube which is somewhat deflected or one with a portion of a seam opened apart, or in fact a damaged tube of any sort, this process of removing the tube by driving the same as explained is a tedious and onerous task, as well as an expensive one, it being naturally understood that the spacing of the adjacent water tubes is rather close, so that the physical effort required to drive out the tubes is applied in close and cramped quarters.

applied to and embrace the tube to be removed, and cut the same into as many lengths as necessary to eliminate the burdensomeand tiring driving process.

To more fully explain my invention I now refer to the drawing, in which A and A are substantially like semi-annular members of preferably rectangular cross section, though it is evident that a different contour of cross section may be employed. At one end these members are maintained in spaced apart and pivoted relationship by a link 10 and pintle screws 11 and 12 or analogous means whereby said members are capable of pivotal and likewise of endwise movement with respect to each other, while the opposite ends of said members are maintained in adjustable spaced apart relation by an adjusting stud 18, the headlt of which engages lips 15 having a vertical slot 15 of'member A and the opposite threaded end 16 of which is in threaded engagement with a tapped opening 17 pass ing through an oscillatable threaded pintle 18, which pintle is rotatably mounted in member A in any desired manner; in this case there being a slot 19 for the reception of the threaded portion 16 of the stud 13 and a tapped cross hole 20 in the member A for the threaded engagement therein of the threaded pintle 18, it being understood that the said pintle is threaded into theopening 20, until the axis of the tapped-opening-l'l in said pintle coincides with similar axes of v the slots and 19. Said pintle is'p'rovided with a depression 21 sunlgin the endthereoff for application of what 1s known as key set screw wrench, or analogous';means may.

an obvious manner. It willbe further noted that @the widths of=the"s lots l5? and 19 are somewhat greater than the diameter of "the adjusting stud 13, so that-thes'light endwise movement of the pintleQO, when saidistud is swung away from the lip l5',"will cause'zno frictionof the parts.

be formed in the well-kn0wn process of founding in steel or tough cast iron, and .in

' It is preferred "th'at the members A and A thisprocessthere are formed in each'ofthese members preferably rectangular radial through passages 25 for the areceptionbf flat-race rollers 26 and --V-shaped cutter rollers 21,-which are rotatably'mounted in'said passages on pintles28, which jlatter 'aretfixed in position by-any preferred media. vThe radii-of the axes of these pintles are SO'Calsituated that when the cutters '27 have pe ne eras th oug t e We 0.5 ;p .p ai ma i Gr in mp n me t w th t e eweumf renee Qtt e A," i Said si ters .niie er'tc' eeate a etzthe sett n t lers-in ene -the-membe n tll'el flat enin Pel ts in the ether mem- B eeu e f the f eth t w re' the rellers a rate t ut ngv ae i n of he cuttin 1 I1 e.v wou be. retarded by. t e 'ifiatten ne' t l e snd I inq im my elf, t 'twe et ee bu may emp ey e;- l rger num er, dep nding en r ly p the Pipe, td e cut.- The' e P a s "25' ay be at d med al y of'lthe facial width of the members friend A, if, desired, butl prefer to; form the same closerjto one side for the reason that near h p'ee ee t Previ le a p ura ity oi? eq ly spa d roug P ssa e r he reception of'the endf ot a point 32 'ot a manipulating handle 3,3 whereby the .devi( :c may t bended; Th rere e Qt my nreei en, max: n w bedeeefib f ef eus= The. au smg serew l3 'i lfir tf SWHIlg' QQ t em he ipf la an m m ers nd r eeidi were. to pa s overthetube togbe cut,with thatside ef memberejneafeet 'theeiit ted in a manner easily, compre hers are then swung-together and the adjusting stud applied Botativemovement to the-head -13 of the adjusting stud is created I by suitable wrench and the device rotated byfthe'hajndle 33. It will be seen that the cutters 27. will cut a V-shaped groovein the periphery of the pipe, and the burrs'raise'd Eby'su'c'hcutters, on either side of the groove will be flattened by the rollers 26. 'Ihis' process is continued until the pipe is cut that p'oint, whereupon the adj Listing. screw is. eased until to sufiiciently spread apart the members -A and A so that the device may be slid along'the pipe or water tube until another cut is to be made, where the cutting process is repeated. In this manner the pipe may ;b.e-.-cut into shortllengths, and-the-heavy driving ofthe same'through obstructing deflection walls and the like is entirely avoid ed. TMoreover, in such short time, and in if such short lengths, that the pipes maybe flattened and passed into the fire box or to the top ofthe tween adjacent tubes, whereby :the driving df' the short lengths through :the openings in headers. is eliminated and .a great saving of time thereby efi'ec'ted.

boiler, by passing them be- I have hereinbefore disclosed the ferred mode of practising my inventicm-but I reserve the rlght to make such and any changes-,asinughtoccur to one skilled in the alitito which this .:inivention appertains, or'to make any-and all sujcli alterations as .may

be permitted under the doctrine of equiva-v lents. I

Havmg A o ,160 thus fully described-my inven: V tron I 012mm as new, and desire -to, secure-' to mysel by. Letters atent of the United" 7 States 1- f1. cutter compri sing two semiannular members-{maintained in spaced apart -relacuttingrollers rotatable -m one of sa d member and flattening rollers rotatable in the. othQIi-Qf-Sa'id members, a li kconuectingadjacent ends of: said spaced apart semiannular. members, and arranged to permit Oi 119. v nd enel efe m veme of said in b with respect to each -other,,an d

ers,

2; A c t r, em ri members. 11 2 tion and daptedfor free rotation aboutgthe periphery of a tube or. the like, cutting roll I ers, a .link connecting adjacent of] s spaced apart semi-annular beefe rranged-t p rm t at PiY P en wlse movement ot' said .Imembers the-eth je end.v f eei aduie iaam ans,pi o ed oeo e n l of ntained in spaced apart rela;

"tten ing rollers rotatable in the otherot epee te ea h t ea dju in two. semi-annular.

'srotatable in one of said members and said members and engagingthe adjacent end of the other of said members, whereby these ends of said members may be forced toward each other.

3. An article of the class described comprising two semi-annular members connected together at one end in spaced apart relation and adapted for pivotal and endwise movement with respect to each other and adjustably and releasably connected at the opposite end, and adapted for free rotation about the periphery of a pipe or the like, there being a plurality of radial, equally spaced through openings in said members,

' cutting and flattening rollers journaled in said openings, and projecting beyond the interior periphery of said members, and pockets in the outer periphery of said members for the reception of a turning wrench.

4. In an article of the class described, including two semi-annular members having open slots in adjacent ends thereof, a link located'in saidslots and pivoted at its ends to said members, whereby said members are maintained in spaced apart relation and are adapted for pivotal and endwise movement with respect to each other, cutting and fiattening rollers journaled in said members,

and means adapted to draw the free ends of said members toward each other.

'throughfsaid pin having a threaded aperture alined with said depression, the other of said depressions having a slotted shoulder, a headed, threaded stud, the head of which is adapted to bear against said shoulder, and the threaded portion of which is arranged to engage the threaded aperture in said pin, whereby said members may be adjustably and removably connected, and pockets in the periphery of said members for the reception of a turning Wrench.

In te t mony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have hereunto set my hand.

WILLIAM C. SPENCER.

Copiesoi' this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

